Blue Jello
by firstdragonrider
Summary: A tired Samantha Carter returns from her command at Atlantis and is warmly greeted by an old friend. Daniel/Sam friendship fluff. Warning for cuddles and brotherly hugs.


_A/N: I want to know what happens to SG1 after Sam comes back from Atlantis. Like, I want to see their super amazing solid friendship grow even more and I want Jack and Sam to be happy forever and I just gaaahhh. I have so many feelings about Stargate and I don't know where to put them all. So here, have this. I intended this to be a Daniel/Sam friendship story with implied Jack/Sam (it's canon and if you doubt me then you're wrong and I'm sorry). Love you all. So much. _

**Blue Jello**

Colonel Samantha Carter was tired. She had blown up suns, saved the world, discovered ancient secrets, uncovered fascinating mysteries, and commanded an entire alien city over the course of a year. But she was tired. She now stumbled into her hotel room, letting the door swing shut behind her and stopping in the middle of the room. It was small, furnished with a queen sized bed, a desk to the side, and a flat screen on the wall across from the bed. She was reminded of her quarters back at Atlantis and found herself smiling fondly. She was glad to be back on Earth. She could nearly feel the desperate relief at being back home coursing through her.

Honestly all she wanted to do was take the next best flight to Washington and curl up in bed next to Jack, but she had work to do at the SGC before she could fly down to DC for her debrief and long-awaited reunion with a certain General O'Neill. She had missed him like hell. She still marveled over the fact that she hadn't left Atlantis earlier just to see him. But now she was home, and now it was only a few days before she could drive him insane with hugs and kisses and everything she thought about doing to him while she was stationed in the Pegasus galaxy.

Sam dropped her bag on the floor with a thump and unceremoniously threw herself onto the bed, letting out a long sigh as she felt the very human and very comforting softness of the cotton under her cheek. She deliberated whether or not to just fall asleep right there and her muscles readily agreed, but the military part of her reminded that she had to get out of her uniform and brush her teeth before going to bed.

"Damn you," she muttered at herself, scrunching her face into a frown before she dragged her body off the heavenly mattress. She changed into sweatpants and one of Jack's over-sized t-shirts that she had dragged all the way to Atlantis and back. She was about to head into the bathroom when there was a tentative knock on her door. For a brief moment, Sam seriously thought about ignoring it and locking herself in the bathroom, but with a groan she forced herself over to the door and unlocked it.

Her entire heart nearly melted when she found herself face to face with her favorite blue-eyed archeologist.

"Aw Daniel," she immediately cooed when his entire face lit up in a huge smile.

"Sam," he returned warmly, holding out a box with a bow on top. She ignored the present momentarily and pulled him into her hotel room, fitting her arms around his waist neatly and tucking her head under his chin in a hug that felt so familiar and comforting that she nearly purred in content. She felt him chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, planting an affectionate and brotherly kiss on top of her head.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his shirt, relishing the warmth and smell of her very own Daniel Jackson.

"I think it's safe to say that I missed you just as much, if not more." She drew back from the hug with an appreciative smile, reaching up to straighten his glasses which were slightly askew.

"You look better than ever," she commented, realizing that he had (once again) put on more muscle. "Careful or you might end up looking like Teal'c." He smiled at that comment and ducked his head shyly, once again extending the gift to her.

"Here, this is from Teal'c, Vala, and I. They're asleep at the moment, or they'd be here too." Sam snorted at him, glancing at the clock by the TV which read one in the morning.

"I would have come to see you guys sooner, but it's really late and I assumed I would see you both tomorrow at the SGC," Sam explained apologetically, taking the box and opening it careful. It contained a box of her favorite chocolate, a pack of cookies, and two familiar bowls of blue jello from the SGC that were carefully wrapped in plastic.

"Oh Daniel, this is perfect," she exclaimed softly, a smile blossoming on her lips as she looked back up at him. He couldn't help but smile triumphantly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"We probably have to eat the jello now though before it goes bad…" he very clearly noted that although she was practically beaming at him with happiness, her eyes were tired and bloodshot. "But I completely understand if you'd rather do this tomorrow when you're fully awake." She had a quick internal struggle with the two options before frowning in worry.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Daniel couldn't help but laugh at her confused statement, and she hit him lightly on the arm for making fun of her.

"Couldn't sleep, and I heard you had just got back in. I wanted to come see you." He shrugged as though it was an obvious fact and Sam couldn't help but feel her heart grow warm again toward her best friend.

"I almost forgot how fantastic you are," she mumbled quietly, looking down with a wistful expression. The mood suddenly shifted to slightly melancholy as the weight of an entire missed year settled down between them.

"I'm really glad you're home Sam," Daniel said softly as Sam went to put the box down on the desk. She grabbed both bowls of jello and the spoons hidden underneath.

"Come talk to me and watch bad movies," Sam stated firmly, crawling up onto the bed and settling cross-legged on one side.

"Are you sure, you don't want to get a good night's sleep and then talk tomorrow?" Daniel asked hesitantly, closing the door which was still slightly open behind him. She shook her head and held out a bowl expectantly. Daniel once again chuckled and kicked off his shoes and deposited his jacket on the hanger by the door, joining Sam on the bed and accepting the bowl of jello.

"You don't even like blue jello," Sam pointed out as she dug into hers feverishly, relishing the sugary substance.

"I might have acquired a taste for it over the past year," Daniel admitted halfheartedly. The statement affected Sam more than it should have and love for the man next to her swelled up in her chest again. When they were finished with their jello, Sam began to recite her most exciting experiences over the past year to him. He listened with obvious interest, even though he had already read all of the reports that had been trickling in from Atlantis. She made sure to include all of the discoveries about the Ancients, and they launched into an excited discussion about the prospect of finding more worlds that belonged to the ancestors. Daniel took his turn to explain everything that had happened back on Earth, most of which included Teal'c and Vala getting into trouble and trying to fit into Earth's society. He also told her about all of Jack's adventures as a General.

"He really missed you," Daniel mentioned, making Sam blush a little.

"Is it true that he beat up an airman who called me hot?" Sam asked smugly which caused Daniel to laugh.

"What? No! At least I don't think he touched him, just threatened him a bit." Sam snickered and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. "Your hair got longer again," he pointed out and she absentmindedly reached back to touch her ponytail.

"Yea, I'm thinking of cutting it," she said with a shrug.

"I think you should keep it long. It's different, but a good different." She smiled at him before taking both of their bowls and placing them on the bedside table. "I should let you sleep now," Daniel stated, moving to get off the bed. She grabbed his arm and tugged him back.

"Stay?" Her look was a mixture of exhaustion and slight guilt. He paused, noting how she wasn't loosening her grip on his arm. He briefly wondered how alone she had been during the past year, and he suddenly felt a pang of pity for his friend. He had been here with the rest of the team and she had been in another galaxy.

"Of course," he responded kindly, his eyes softening behind his glasses. He made himself comfortable on the bed, depositing his glasses on the bedside table as Sam crawled under the covers. They settled into a very comfortable and familiar position with her head on his chest and arm slung lightly across his stomach. He pulled her against him and sighed into her hair, feeling her smile against his shirt.

"Thank you." Sam's voice already hinted at the fact that she was half asleep, but it was still filled with sincerity and gratitude. Daniel placed a kiss on her head, feeling her relax and hearing her breathing even out into a steady rhythm. He reached over carefully and flipped the light switch by the bedside lamp, effectively turning off the lights in the hotel room. He lay in the dark, listening to her breathing and marveling over the fact that they could so easily fall back into the roles they'd been carrying over the past couple of years. That thought made him appreciate the bundle of blonde in his arms a bit more and for a moment he imagined that they had a mission with the rest of SG-1 in the morning that involved blowing up a Goa'uld mothership of some sort just like the good old days. It made him smile. And for the first time in almost a year, Daniel closed his eyes and slept soundly through the night.


End file.
